The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 06, 2001
Filed:
Jan. 18, 2000
Nicholas E. Smith, Oak Park, IL (US);
Navigation Technologies Corp., Chicago, IL (US);
Abstract
A method and system for providing navigation services to portable communications devices, such as cellular phones. A cellular phone user uses a cellular phone to request navigation services. The cellular phone is located in a geographic area that has a cellular phone location determining system that determines the positions of cellular phones used throughout the area. The cellular phone location determining system is used to determine one or more locations of the cellular phone used to request the navigation services. A map matching program uses a map database that contains data indicating the locations of roads located throughout the geographic area to relate the position of the cellular phone to one or more roads. Optionally, a direction of travel of the cellular phone can be determined by the map matching program using data indicating multiple positions of the cellular phone over time. Data indicating the position with respect to roads located in the geographic area of the cellular phone used to request the navigation services is combined with the request for navigation services at a navigation services server. The navigation services server determines a response to the request for navigation services taking into account the location and/or direction of travel of the cellular phone.